Communications Office

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Background (notes for editors)

The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is a professional body for marine scientists with some 1,400 members world-wide. Since 1884 the MBA has established itself as a leading marine biological research organization contributing to the work of several Nobel Laureates and over 170 Fellows of the Royal Society. In 2013, the MBA was awarded a Royal Charter in recognition of its long and eminent history and its status within the field of marine biology. The award strengthens the Association’s role in promoting marine biology as a discipline and in representing the interests of the marine biological community.

Extreme weather events occur in the oceans as well as the atmosphere. Marine heatwaves – periods of anomalously high temperatures – are increasing in frequency, with over 50% more heatwave days per year from 1987–2016, than from 1925–1954, yet their impacts on species and ecosystems are poorly known.

The research paper, 'Marine heatwaves threaten global biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services' published in the journal Nature Climate Change, is available here.

A new study shows how a warming ocean has led to unprecedented marine biological changes at the global level over the last decade, and that future changes will be stronger and have more severe effects on the living marine resources that we rely on.

The research employs a new model that is capable of remarkably accurate predictions of observed long-term fluctuations, including identifying well-documented abrupt and widespread changes to marine ecosystems (in the late 1980s and late 1990s). The model identified that an unprecedented and massive shift in ocean populations occurred from 2010 to 2015 (see Figure 1), which the authors warn may have substantial ecological consequences across the whole globe.

The research paper, 'Prediction of unprecedented biological shifts in the global ocean' published in the journal Nature Climate Change, is available here.

Dr Matt Frost from the Marine Biological Association will be swapping a lab coat for legislation when he visits Sheryll Murray at the House of Commons for a week in Westminster. The week (04 – 07 December) is part of a unique pairing scheme run by the Royal Society – the UK’s national academy of science, with support from the Government Science & Engineering (GSE) profession.

Fungi are the great decomposers, breaking down complex organic material and making it available for growth. But they aren’t just found in the woods; a new project, led by the MBA, has received €1.9m to fill the gap in our understanding of fungi in the sea.

The project has received a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) to fund five years of research, much of which will take place in Plymouth.

The Marine Biological Association helped the BBC’s Natural History Unit with information and facilities for the filming of its landmark series Blue Planet II.

Yesterday’s episode, Green Seas, highlighted the role of the ocean and its inhabitants in regulating the atmosphere and mitigating the effects of climate change. The sequence showing phytoplankton in close-up was filmed at the MBA laboratory on the Hoe in Plymouth using cells from our microalgal culture collection and samples collected on the day from Plymouth Sound by MBA staff members.

Scientists have shown for the first time how skates make night-time forays into shallower water, moving across a varied seabed topography, searching and foraging for food along the way. This unique window on the fine details of fish behaviour was made possible by data from electronic tagging, and may influence the management of these vulnerable species.

Scientists develop new technology to predict how marine life will fare in warmer seas

Using a novel system to conduct warming experiments in real marine habitats, researchers in the Benthic Ecosystems and Environmental Change research group at the MBA have demonstrated that seawater warming of the magnitude already experienced during ‘marine heatwaves’ causes major changes in underwater communities of microbes and animals.

Scientists from Plymouth, UK are warning the UK kelp biofuel industry to beware of viruses.
Whilst known to infect certain types of seaweed, a new study published in the ISME Journal is the
first to describe viruses in kelps, which are important both ecologically and commercially.

The third issue of the Sea Changeproject newsletter showcases a range of innovative activities taking place across Europe to boost European citizens’ “Ocean Literacy”, an understanding of the ocean’s influence on us and our influence on the ocean.

Sea Change is a three-year EU Horizon 2020-funded project that is establishing a fundamental “Sea Change” in the way European citizens view their relationship with the ocean by increasing Ocean Literacy throughout society.

A recent study published in the Nature journal Scientific Reports highlights a newly identified virus – named Moku after the Hawaiian Island from which it was isolated – in the invasive wasp, Vespula pensylvanica. The study also warns that transmission of these kinds of viruses, especially from invasive species which can spread viruses to new locations, is a threat to pollinator health worldwide.

Particularly under threat are honey bees, which are as vital to our food systems as the crops they pollinate, and which are prone to a range of emergent diseases, including Moku and Deformed wing virus (DWV).

The study has highlighted the importance of monitoring invasive species for broad-range viruses as well as the potential for transmission of these pathogens. Dr Declan Schroeder, Head of the Virus Ecology Group at the MBA explains: “The true significance of this discovery lies in the potential ramifications that a new biological invasion could cause”.

The Sea Change project invites you to take simple steps towards protecting our ocean by joining its new “Our Ocean, Our Health” campaign to raise awareness of the interconnectedness of ocean and human health.

Sea Change is an EU Horizon 2020-funded project which aims to raise European citizens’ awareness of the intrinsic links between ocean and human health, and to empower us, as “Ocean Literate” citizens, to take direct and sustainable action towards a healthy ocean, healthy communities and ultimately a healthy planet.

Promoting marine biology and excellence in research is central to the mission of the Marine Biological Association (MBA). The recent vote for Britain to leave the European Union raises significant uncertainties surrounding essential funding for the UK marine biology community. The impact of this goes far beyond the UK as European funding has enabled UK-based scientists to play a crucial role in working collaboratively with colleagues in Europe and beyond. Significant progress in the marine biological and environmental sciences can no longer be achieved without strong international collaborations. Marine Biologists based at the Association’s laboratory for example are involved in major initiatives that would allow European marine scientists’ access to the expertise and facilities available in marine laboratories throughout the UK as well as providing UK scientists with open access to large-scale European facilities not available in the UK.

As a Chartered body promoting marine biology the MBA will actively engage with the UK Government to help ensure adequate resources are made available to support marine research, education and advice provision. The MBA will also be stressing the importance of having mechanisms in place for collaboration and networking so that the ability of the marine biological community to meet today’s marine environmental challenges and address fundamental research questions is not compromised.

An international team of researchers from the UK, Portugal, Spain and U.S.A. tracked more than 100 sharks from six different species by satellite across the entire North Atlantic, one of the most heavily exploited oceans. Concurrent with the shark tracking, the scientists tracked 186 Spanish and Portuguese longline fishing vessels using GPS to quantify the overlap in space and time.

The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is part of two different £1.2m Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) projects to find out how effective the tools developed around environmental DNA (eDNA) will be at telling us what organisms – from plankton to whales – are present in an area, and how ecosystems work.

Marine biologists working at the Marine Biological Association (MBA) laboratory in Plymouth have been awarded funds totalling almost £3 million to study how tiny algae in the sea sense and respond to their environment using mechanisms that are very similar to sophisticated nerve activity in animals and humans.

This week, international experts will gather in Plymouth for the annual conference of the Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI) hosted by the Marine Biological Association of the UK (MBA) and Plymouth University, to discuss ways of using new science and technology to help sustainably manage shark, skate and ray populations.

“The decline in sharks, skates and rays is truly alarming and a global phenomenon” Image: James Lea

The patron of the Marine Biological Association, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, will join a host of distinguished guests to celebrate the marine environment – and the importance of understanding it – at a Royal Charter reception at the Fishmongers’ Hall in London.

Marine worms are the latest ally in the battle against oil pollution of the marine environment. The Marine Biological Association is a partner in a new European funded consortium, developing novel biotechnological ways of tackling oil spills.

The Marine Biological Association to establish a legacy-funded Fellowship

The world-famous Marine Biological Association of the UK has been left a substantial legacy by Professor Anne Warner, FRS, an eminent scientist who died in 2012. The MBA will take this opportunity to establish an endowed Warner Fellowship to open a new research area in cell and molecular biology of marine organisms.

Plymouth’s Marine Biological Association (MBA) which was first established more than a century ago has been granted a Royal Charter. The MBA has been recognised for its long and eminent history and its status within the field of marine biology. The Royal Charter was approved by the Privy Council at the Court at Buckingham Palace last month. Image: Keith Hiscock

The Marine Biological Association conducts, promotes and supports scientific research into all aspects of life in the sea. We're working with our ever-growing membership to provide a clear and independent voice on behalf of the marine biological community